半辈子

半輩子

bànbèizi

noun #7,282

Meanings

Literally 'half a lifetime' — a significant portion of one's life.

Tā huā le bànbèizi yánjiū zhège wèntí.

He spent half his life studying this problem.

Wǒ bànbèizi dōu zhù zài zhèlǐ.

I've lived here for half my life.

Tā xīnkǔ le bànbèizi cái zǎngòu qián.

She worked hard for half her life to save enough money.

usage

半辈子 doesn't mean exactly half. It's an emotional expression emphasizing 'a very long time.' Compare 一辈子 (yībèizi, 'a whole lifetime').

半 bàn

辈 bèi

子 zǐ